Corrections Officer

Employment

Corrections officers are charged with the safety and security of persons who have been arrested, are awaiting trial, or who have been convicted of a crime and sentenced to serve time in a correctional institution. Correction officers may escort prisoners in transit between courtrooms, correctional institutions, and other points. They maintain order within the institution, enforce rules and regulations, and often supplement the counseling that inmates receive from psychologists, social workers, and other mental health professionals.

Job Outlook

Corrections officers held about 310,000 jobs in 1994. Employment for correction officers is expected to increase much faster than the average for all occupations through the year 2005 as additional officers are hired to supervise and counsel a growing inmate population. According to a 1994 survey in Corrections Compendium, salaries at the state level averaged $19,100. At the federal level, the 1994 average for all nonsupervisory corrections officers was about $31,460.

Employment of correction officers is not usually affected by changes either in economic conditions or in the overall level of government spending because security must be maintained in correctional institutions at all times.

The Program

The GCC Correction Officer program meets and exceeds the State of Michigan mandated entrance requirements for local and state corrections officers.

The Requirements

The following are the required courses necessary to receive a certificate for the Corrections Officer Program: